The present invention relates to the field of dump trucks, and more particularly to dump trucks capable of being used as spreader trucks.
Large scale civil projects such as road construction, road repairs, or snow removal normally require the use of certain types of heavy equipment, and in particular, certain types of vehicles, for their successful completion. Different types of vehicles may be used for different purposes.
For example, one type of vehicle commonly utilized during municipal or construction projects is the dump truck. As known by those skilled in the art, dump trucks have a dump body that is capable of being pivoted upwardly about a rear axis transverse to the length of the truck for rapid unloading of materials contained therein. Dump trucks are useful for hauling heavy loads comprising various types of materials, such as earth or crushed stone, and easily depositing them in a desired location.
Another type of vehicle that can be very useful is the spreader truck. Spreader trucks are vehicles that are capable of hauling dispersible materials, such as sand or salt, and spreading these materials over the underlying ground surface (usually when the vehicle is in motion). Spreader trucks typically have a body consisting of a generally V-shaped hopper with a conveyor at the bottom for feeding material back towards the rear of the truck. The xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d shape of the body promotes effective gravity feeding of contained materials into the conveyor. In typical operation, the conveyor is engaged to convey the materials rearwardly onto one or more xe2x80x9cspreadersxe2x80x9d (e.g. spinning plates with radial upstanding ribs) for dispersion over an expanse of underlying road. Spreader trucks of this type are commonly used in colder climates to disperse granular salt onto ice-covered roadways.
Unfortunately, vehicles such as dump trucks and spreader trucks can be expensive. As a result, it can be difficult for some entities, such as municipalities or enterprises with limited budgets, to be able to afford all of the various types of vehicles that they may require.
Recognizing this problem, at least one manufacturer has thought to produce a vehicle that is capable of being used in multiple capacities. The rationale of this approach is that, because the bulk of the expense of a heavy vehicle may be attributable to its understructure (i.e. chassis, wheels, engine, drive train, cab, etc.) as opposed to its accessories (e.g. hopper, spreader, or dumping actuator), it is more economical to provide a single vehicle understructure that can be configured for use in various capacities.
A known apparatus following this approach is the combined dump truck and spreader apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,389. The dump truck of this patent has a dump body with a generally semi-circular cross-section and an integral conveyor attached at its base that is capable of conveying materials back towards the rear of the truck. A latchable tailgate is pivotally secured to the rear of the body. A hoist mechanism at the front of the dump body is capable of inclining the body with the attached conveyor for rapid unloading of materials, in the manner of a conventional dump truck. When used as a dump truck, a cover is placed over the conveyor mechanism at the base of the dump body to prevent any material from flowing thereinto, and the conveyor is left inactivated. Material may thus be loaded into the body, transported, and dumped in a conventional manner, with the dumped material exiting the inclined body through the unlatched tailgate. When used as a spreader, the rear tailgate is kept closed, the conveyor mechanism is left uncovered, and the dump body is kept in a lowered position. Material contained in the semi-circular body is fed by gravity into the conveyor, which may be engaged to convey the material rearwardly onto a conventional spreader at the rear of the truck.
A disadvantage of the above apparatus is the fact that the bed of the dump body is semi-circular and not flat. Dump trucks having a flat bed are particularly versatile, in that they may alternatively be used to carry items which are best kept upright or on a flat surface during transportation. Such items may include road construction barriers (e.g. stacked pylons or cones) or stacks of plywood for example. The above described device is not suitable for transporting such items.
A further possible disadvantage of the above apparatus is the fact that it incorporates a truck chassis. A municipality or enterprise with limited means may not be able to afford the purchase of a chassis, which is typically only sold as a component of a costly, complete vehicle. Such entities may instead wish to purchase a less expensive apparatus that can be fitted onto an existing vehicle, such as a large pickup truck, to convert it to a multi-purpose vehicle.
Apparatus for attachment to an existing vehicle are in fact commercially available. For example, one apparatus marketed under the name xe2x80x9cEZ Dumperxe2x80x9d is a hydraulically-operated dump unit designed to be installed in the bed of a pickup truck for conversion of the pickup truck into a dump truck. The apparatus includes a dump body and an attached hydraulic hoist mechanism that is capable of inclining the body in the manner of a conventional dump truck for rapid unloading of materials. The EZ Dumper apparatus may also be fitted with an attachment for further conversion of the vehicle into a spreader truck. This attachment comprises a hopper with an integrated conveyor at its base, which is attached to the dump body. Moreover, a spreader is attached at the rear of the dump body near the end of the conveyor. Materials loaded into the hopper are fed by gravity onto the conveyor, which may be engaged to convey the material rearwardly onto the spreader for dispersion.
Disadvantageously, conversion of a truck utilizing the EZ Dumper apparatus from its dump truck capacity to its spreader truck capacity can be difficult. Conversion involves attachment of the hopper with its integral conveyor to the dump body. Because the conveyor mechanism can add significant weight to the hopper, a hoist or similar system for lifting heavy objects may need to be used to move the hopper/conveyor during conversion. Alternatively, it may be necessary for a team of persons to work in unison to lift the hopper off of or onto the dump body. Furthermore, in order for the conveyor portion of a newly-attached hopper to receive power for operation, electrical wires or hydraulic lines must be connected thereto. This requirement of attaching (or detaching) wires or hydraulic lines not only complicates the conversion process, but may impede proper operation of the conveyor if a connection is improperly made.
What is therefore needed is a multi-purpose vehicle, usable as a flat bed dump truck or a spreader truck, which can be converted between these alternative uses with a minimum of effort and without any requirement of attaching electrical wires or hydraulic lines. What is also needed is an apparatus with which existing vehicles such as pickup trucks can be outfitted for transformation into a multi-purpose vehicle like the one just described.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus which addresses at least some of the shortcomings described above. The apparatus is capable of adapting a vehicle for use in either of a dump truck mode or a spreader truck mode.
The apparatus includes a dump body unit and a removable hopper. The dump body unit comprises a main frame that is pivotally interconnected with a dump body at a pivotal axis. The main frame attaches to the vehicle and supports the dump body. The dump body has a substantially flat bed with an attached conveyor. In dump truck mode, the conveyor may be covered and materials may be loaded into the dump body for hauling. A hoist is capable of selectively pivoting the dump body about the pivotal axis between a lowered xe2x80x9chaulingxe2x80x9d position and a raised xe2x80x9cdumpingxe2x80x9d position for rapid unloading of materials. In spreader truck mode, the conveyor may be uncovered and the hopper is attached to the dump body so that an aperture at the hopper""s base is aligned with the conveyor. Engagement of the conveyor causes materials fed by gravity from within the hopper to be conveyed along the dump body for dispersion, typically by an attached spreader which cooperates with the conveyor.
Optionally, the main frame may comprise a truck chassis. In this case attachment of the main frame to the vehicle is inherent the fact that the chassis forms part of a
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for adapting a vehicle for use as a dump truck or a spreader truck, comprising: a main frame; a dump body pivotally interconnected to said main frame, said dump body including a conveyor extending substantially along the length of said dump body and being joined thereto, said dump body further including a bed which, other than at said conveyor, is substantially flat; a hoist for selectively pivoting said dump body; a removable hopper for passing materials onto said conveyor when installed in said dump body; and at least one interconnector for releasably connecting said hopper to said dump body.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of converting a vehicle adapted for use as a dump truck with an apparatus for adapting a vehicle for use as a dump truck or a spreader truck, said apparatus comprising: a main frame; a dump body pivotally interconnected to said main frame, said dump body having a conveyor joined thereto, said dump body further including a bed which, other than at said conveyor, is substantially flat, wherein said conveyor is situated below said bed and wherein said dump body comprises a channel opening onto said conveyor; a hoist for selectively pivoting said dump body; a removable hopper for passing materials onto said conveyor when installed in said dump body, said hopper comprising a downwardly directed lip for extending into said channel when said hopper is installed in said dump body; at least one interconnector for releasably connecting said hopper to said dump body; and a removable cover configured such that, when said hopper is removed, said cover may be installed within said channel so as to cover said conveyor and so as to have an upper surface flush with said bed of said dump body, for use as a spreader truck, said method comprising: removing said cover from the bed of said dump body; placing the lip of said hopper within said channel to locate said hopper within said dump body; and connecting said hopper to said dump body with said at least one interconnector.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for adapting a vehicle for use as a dump truck or a spreader truck, comprising: a truck chassis; a dump body pivotally interconnected to said truck chassis, said dump body including a conveyor extending substantially along the length of said dump body and being joined thereto, said dump body further including a bed which, other than at said conveyor, is substantially flat; a hoist for selectively pivoting said dump body; a removable hopper for passing materials onto said conveyor when installed in said dump body; and at least one interconnector for releasably connecting said hopper to said dump body.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for adapting a vehicle for use as a dump truck or a spreader truck, comprising: a main frame; a dump body pivotally interconnected to said main frame, said dump body including a front wall, two side walls, a bed, an attached conveyor situated below said bed within a channel extending substantially along the length of said dump body, and an opening through which conveyed materials may pass for spreading, said bed of said dump body being substantially flat other than at said conveyor; a hoist for selectively pivoting said dump body; a removable hopper for passing materials onto said conveyor when installed in said dump body, said hopper including a downwardly directed lip for extending into said channel when said hopper is installed in said dump body; and at least one interconnector for releasably connecting said hopper to said dump body.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.